The Encyclopedia of Country Music

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum General editor: Michael McCall, General editor John Rumble, and General editor Paul KingsburyForeword by Vince Gill

Over 1,200 entries on the important figures, trends, and forms of country music

Thoroughly updated, with hundreds of new artists profiled and new essays on the digital evolution and politics of country music

With a foreword by Grammy-winning artist Vince Gill

A vivid photographic insert displays some of the most interesting album art since the dawn of country music

Winner of numerous awards, including the Best Reference Award from the Popular Culture Association National Book Award

The Encyclopedia of Country Music

Second Edition

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum General editor: Michael McCall, General editor John Rumble, and General editor Paul KingsburyForeword by Vince Gill

Description

Immediately upon publication in 1998, the Encyclopedia of Country Music became a much-loved reference source, prized for the wealth of information it contained on that most American of musical genres. Countless fans have used it as the source for answers to questions about everything from country's first commercially successful recording, to the genre's pioneering music videos, to what conjunto music is. This thoroughly revised new edition includes more than1,200 A-Z entries covering nine decades of history and artistry, from the Carter Family recordings of the 1920s to the reign of Taylor Swift in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Compiled by a team of experts at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the encyclopedia has been brought completely up-to-date, with new entries on the artists who have profoundly influenced country music in recent years, such as the Dixie Chicks and Keith Urban. The new edition also explores the latest and most critical trends within the industry, shedding light on such topics as the digital revolution, the shifting politics of country music, and the impact of American Idol (reflected in the stardom of Carrie Underwood). Other essays cover the literature of country music, the importance of Nashville as a music center, and the colorful outfits that have long been a staple of the genre. The volume features hundreds of images, including a photo essay of album covers; a foreword by country music superstar Vince Gill (the winner of twenty Grammy Awards); and twelve fascinating appendices, ranging from lists of awards to the best-selling country albums of all time.

The Encyclopedia of Country Music

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum General editor: Michael McCall, General editor John Rumble, and General editor Paul KingsburyForeword by Vince Gill

Table of Contents

Foreword by Vince Gill Introduction Acknowledgments The Encyclopedia of Country Music Essay Articles Special photographic section: Country Album Cover Art Appendices Contributors

The Encyclopedia of Country Music

Second Edition

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum General editor: Michael McCall, General editor John Rumble, and General editor Paul KingsburyForeword by Vince Gill

Author Information

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum General editor: Michael McCall, Writer/Editor, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, General editor John Rumble, Senior Historian, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and General editor Paul Kingsbury

Foreword by
Vince Gill

Paul Kingsbury, editor of the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Country Music, is the co-editor (with Alanna Nash) of Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music in America and the author of The Grand Ole Opry History of Country Music.Michael McCall, a prominent music journalist, is a writer and editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. John W. Rumble is senior historian at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Contributors:

Over 100 authors, scholars, music historians, journalists, and musicians

The Encyclopedia of Country Music

Second Edition

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum General editor: Michael McCall, General editor John Rumble, and General editor Paul KingsburyForeword by Vince Gill

From Our Blog

Recently reading through the Notes and Discographies section of Greil Marcus's book Mystery Train (first published in 1975), I was struck by Marcus's meticulousness when it came to recommending records.

On 5 March 1963, a plane flying over Tennessee encountered inclement weather and crashed. On board were some of the great country musical talent of the time, including Randy Hughes, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Patsy Cline. A star of both country and popular music, Cline is remembered as one of the greatest American singers of the 20th century. The following is an extract from The Encyclopedia of Country Music entry on Patsy Cline by Margaret Jones.

The 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards is this Sunday, April 1st, so we thought it was time to pull together a country music knowledge challenge. Compiled by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Michael McCall, John Rumble and Paul Kingsbury ' authors of The Encyclopedia of Country Music ' we begin the first of a three-part quiz on the twang of guitars and accents today. How much do you know about the music of 'three chords and the truth'?

Let's test your knowledge from honky tonk to hillbilly blues. Here's the second of a three-part quiz on the twang of guitars and accents, compiled by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Michael McCall, John Rumble, and Paul Kingsbury ' authors of The Encyclopedia of Country Music. You can still go back and take 'Quiz on country media, Level 1: Walk the line.' All this is running up to the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards is this Sunday, April 1st. Can you pass all three levels of our a country music knowledge challenge?

Think you know your country music? While 'Crazy' was made famous by Patsy Cline, it was composed by Willie Nelson. And that brings us to Level 3: Crazy ' the last stage in our three-part country music quiz, compiled by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Michael McCall, John Rumble, and Paul Kingsbury ' authors of The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Tonight is the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Are you ready?